Modeling change in and between schemes using SKOS - the problem of persistent URIs

Dear Members of the SKOS Community:

Hello.  I, along with Stuart Sutton, have started to model changes in  
schemes using SKOS.  We want to keep track of changes within and  
between versions of schemes.  However, we've run into a problem.  The  
problem is:

1. SKOS postulates a concept exists independent of a scheme
2. This means that a concept can exist in many schemes (further  
demonstrated by SKOS's inScheme)
3. However, each scheme delimits the meaning of a concept by its  
relationships with other concepts in the scheme.
4. Change notes, as properties of concepts, are not linked to the  
scheme in which the change applies.
5. We are left to ask: how do we model scheme specific changes to  
concepts without signaling a new URI?

You can see an illustration of the problem at:
http://www.ischool.washington.edu/sasutton/skos/Concept_History_New.html

You can also see how we are trying to solve the problem: by  
introducing an ConceptInstance as well as a Concept.  This too can be  
seen at the above URL.

We are writing to ask this group to vet this idea.  We want to know,  
in your opinions, what are the ramifications of this re-model.

We look forward to hearing what you think.

All the best,
joe




Joseph T. Tennis, PhD
Assistant Professor
Coordinator for the MAS and MLIS First Nations Concentration
School of Library, Archival and Information Studies
The University of British Columbia
301 - 6190 Agronomy Road
Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z3
CANADA
phone: 1.604.822.2431
fax: 1.604.822.6006
jtennis@interchange.ubc.ca
http://www.slais.ubc.ca/PEOPLE/faculty/tennis-p/index.htm